Enjoy the sunshine but be careful...it may kill thousands this week!
Essential guide to keeping our furry (and feathered) friends cool
A RECORD-BREAKING heatwave could cause thousands of deaths this week and its effects should be treated as seriously as Covid, experts said yesterday.
The warning came as ministers held an emergency Cobra meeting amid forecasts the record for the hottest day will be set by Tuesday.
Britain’s first red extreme heat warning has been issued as temperatures are predicted to hit up to 104F (40C).
The Met Office’s highest alert, meaning a risk to life, includes London, Manchester and York tomorrow and Tuesday.
Meanwhile, the UK Health Security Agency issued its “national emergency” level-four heat alert to medical and care organisations, saying illness and death could occur among the “fit and healthy”.
Professor Robert Dingwall, of Nottingham Trent University, said: “Heatwaves are like pandemics in the sense that they are slowly emerging events which can cause large-scale public health crises.
“I would predict there will be a spike in excess or extra deaths to reach the low thousands.
“Heat causes a general stress on circulation with people who are poor and elderly disproportionately affected.”
Prof Dingwall highlighted the 20-day Paris heatwave in August 2003, to which 35,000 excess deaths were linked.
Thousands of elderly people died alone, especially those on higher floors of buildings.
Prof Dingwall added: “The message is not just about staying out of the midday sun, but also to open as many windows as is safely possible at night. This is when people are most at risk as the body has less ability to cool down.”
Prof Dingwall advised the fitness conscious to exercise either in the early morning or at the end of the day.
Climate scientist Dr Vikki Thompson, of Bristol University’s Cabot Institute for the Environment, said: “Heatwaves are one of the most deadly natural hazards.
In the UK, 3,000 deaths were linked to heatwaves in 2021.
“Health issues include direct effects such as heat stroke and cardiovascular failure and indirect effects, including poorer mental health and an increase in accidents such as car crashes and drownings.”
Dr William Bird, CEO of Intelligent Health, who wrote heat warning guidance for the Government and the Met Office, said: “Deaths linked to cold tend to lag by five to 14 days because people usually develop respiratory diseases which make them ill and vulnerable.
“Heat-related deaths are almost immediate, with a lag of only two to three days.
“Older people have poor heat regulation – it takes a lot of energy to sweat – and the stress of high temperatures on the system can lead to kidney, heart or liver failure.” Cabinet Office
AS WELL as looking after pets, animal lovers are being urged to take care of wildlife in gardens.
They should provide enough water for birds, hedgehogs, mice and even insects, and bird baths should be kept topped up to help keep feathers in good condition. Ponds should be kept filled to help out frogs, newts and other aquatic creatures.
Bird feeders should be kept filled, with soaked raisins or apple pieces left on the floor for foraging thrushes and other animals.
Vitally important is to provide shade with logs, rocks or long grass.a wild space in the garden is ideal for providing shelter for a range of animals.
People should take extra care and not have barbecues in the countryside to avoid wildfires that can kill wildlife and destroy habitats.
Dog owners are being urged to skip walking their pets and keep them indoors, with frozen treats to encourage them to keep hydrated.
They should resist the temptation to take dogs to the beach and never leave dogs in stationary
Minister Kit Malthouse chaired yesterday’s Government Cobra civil contingencies committee to discuss the escalating heatwave.
It is the second Cobra meeting Mr Malthouse has led on the issue.
He said transport services faced “significant disruption” because of the conditions and told people to avoid trips tomorrow and Tuesday.
Mr Malthouse added that steps had been taken to ensure hospitals and ambulance services were prepared and schools were cars. Rob Stoneman, director of landscape recovery for The Wildlife Trusts, said: “Wildlife is under great pressure with heatwaves and extreme weather events causing even more havoc for creatures great and small.
“There are lots of steps you can take to help wildlife, such as leaving out water and providing enough shaded areas in your garden.
“It’s also vitally important to be careful about risks of wildfires – many heathlands, moorlands and grasslands are tinder dry, and can catch fire from the tiniest hot ember or spark.”
RSPCA dog welfare expert Esmewheeler said: “We can’t stress enough how vital it is that pet owners take the situation seriously.
“Don’t be that person who is dragging their panting dog along the pavement or plodding around a garden show. Please leave them at home in the cool where they’ll be safe.”
‘Heat deaths are almost immediate’
being given advice to allow them to remain open.
Meteorologists have given an 80 per cent chance of the mercury topping the UK’S record temperature of 101.6F set in Cambridge in 2019.
The heatwave is set to peak on Tuesday.
Temperatures will climb today and the Met Office has issued an amber warning covering much of England and Wales from Sunday until Tuesday.
Dr Bird said people living in poor quality, badly insulated and high-rise buildings were at increased risk and should have a “place of safety” when temperatures are at their highest.
He called it a “scandal” that Britain had some of Europe’s worst quality housing stock, causing excess deaths in winter and summer.
Prof Dingwall also called for “cool spaces” like those set up in
some US cities. The Government has advised those in the hottest areas to shade or cover windows and check on vulnerable and elderly people.
England’s chief medical officer, Prof Sir Chris Whitty, said: “Please remember the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke,
‘If forecast’s right, lives are at risk’
especially for older and medically vulnerable people.
“Early intervention to cool people down and rehydrate them can be life-saving.”
Dr Radhika Khosla, of Oxford University, said: “The health implications of rising temperatures in the UK are serious.
“Important physiological changes occur in response to high
temperatures including changes in our circulatory, nervous and respiratory systems.
“When these adaptive measures are not enough, the risk of cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular problems increases among older adults, young children, people with chronic conditions, athletes and outdoor workers.
“Severe heat disrupts sleep, impairs cognitive performance and is associated with increased risk of suicide or hospital admission for mental illness.”
Today, it could reach 86F in London and 80.6F in Cardiff. Temperatures, however, are set to be a little cooler in Belfast with 75.2F and 73.4F in Edinburgh.
But by Tuesday temperatures are forecast to increase by several more degrees – up to the 90s for much of England and Wales.
However, it is along the A1 corridor from London to Scotland, through counties such as Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Yorkshire and the North-east where the mercury is likely to reach a record-breaking 104F.
Grahame Madge, of the Met Office, said: “If people have vulnerable relatives or neighbours, now is the time to make sure they’re putting suitable measures in place to be able to cope with the heat.
“If the forecast is as we think it will be in the red warning area, people’s lives are at risk.”
Yesterday, sun-seekers flocked to resorts including Brighton.
Retailer Toolstation said that sales of fans had risen by
641 per cent in the last week compared with the previous one, as tradesmen and women struggle to stay cool while they work.
The hot spell looks set to subside later in the week, when a cold front is expected to begin pushing in.